Shock absorber



Jan. 6. 1925. 1,522,243

H. R. HUGHES'. JR

SHOCK ABSORBER Filed Aug; '7. 1923 C1110: nu'

f stalling HUWABD E. HUGHES, JR., OF HOUSTON, TEXAS.v

snocx Ansoana. v

Application lled August v7, 192%.r Serial No. 656,156.-

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, HOWARD R. HUGHES,

Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, Harris County, Texas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shock Absorbers, of which the following'is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same. y

My invention relates to shock absorbers, and is particularly designed for use' on motor vehicles to take up the vibration and shock of trailic over rough or irregular surfaced roadways.

An Objectis to provide a shock absorber of the fluid type which will absorb a shock delivered through the wheels of the vehicle, and also prevent the usual recoil taking place after the direct shock has been delivered.

Another object is to provide a shock absorber of simple construction which will work silently and smoothly.' Other objects i and advantages and the means by which such objects are accomplished will more clearly appear from the description which follows:

Referring to the drawing herewith wherein like numerals of reference are applied to like parts in both of the views,`

Fig. 1 is a broken detail of a vehicle frame and spring showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through a dash pot used in connection with the invention.

In the drawing the numeral 1 isapplied to a side supporting member of the vehicle chassis. The side frame is supported upon an axle 2 of a wheel 3 by means ofan intervening spring 4 of the usual elliptical construction. Said spring is secured rigidly to a housing 5 surrounding the axle 2 by means of a stirrup 6 in the usual manner.

The spring 4 is contemplated as being. attached to the frame of the vehicle by means of-shackles or otherwise.

The shock absorbing apparatus comprises a special casting 7, having at one side thereof a cylinder 8 closed at its upper end, and having an opening 9 in the lower end to receive a piston rod 10, said piston rod being adapted to reciprocate through a box 11. Within the cylinder 8 is the piston 12 secured to the forward end of the piston rod previously described. The

lower end of the said piston rod is pivoted at 13' to a bracket 14 adapted to be clamped around the housing 5 for the wheel axle by means of bolts and nuts '15 as shown in Fig. 1. f

t one' side of the cylinder 8 is a longitudinal chamber or channel 16 within lwhich is slidable a valve gear17.- This valve gear comprises a rod 18 mounted upon` the upper yend of the cylinder 19 of a dash pot which will be presently described. Within the chamber or cylinder 16 are two piston valves 20 and 21. Above the piston 20, and spaced slightly therefrom, is a smaller piston 22. A similar piston 23 is spaced` slightly below the valve- 21. Between the two pistons 20 and 21-is a small chamber communicating by means of anpopening24 inthe walls of the cylinder with the atmosphere.

At the upper end of the cylinder 8 is a laterally extending channel 25 which is turned 'downwardly and has two ducts 26 and 27 communicating with the valve cylinder 16. At the lower end of the cylinder 8 a similar channel 28 isconnected withA thev valve cylinder 16 by means of two ducts 29 and 30.

Gn the side of the cylinder 16 at points normally closed by the valve pistons -20 and 21 are channels 31 and'32, connected with Aan inlet pipe 33 coming from a compression `chamber 34 for air or other fluid under pressure. This chamber 34 is connected by means of a pipe 35 to an air compressor shown` diagrammatically at 36. It is contemplated that this aircompressor shall be an automatically operated compressor of any ordinary type, and may be actuated by means of a motor and storage battery or from the operating parts ofthe vehicle as desired, this compressor not being an essential -part of my invention.

Working within the cylinder 19 of the dash pot is a piston 37 `.mounted on the upper end of a piston rod 38. This piston rod reciprocates through astuiling box 39 in the lower'end of saidcylinder. As shown particularly in Fig. 2, the cylinder 19has a small by-pass 40 connectin one end of said cylinder with the other en A small needle valve 41 in said passage, 40 tends to regulate the amount of air or li uid assing therethrough. The lower en of t e piston rod '38 is connected at 42 within a slot 43 in a lever arm 44. Said lever arm is secured at Cil one end to a shackle 45 mounted upon the lower end of thepiston rod 10. At its other end the lever 44 is pivoted at'46 to the lower end of a link 47 secured to the lower end of the casting 7 to the rear of the cylinder 16. v

The shock absorbing apparatus thus described is securely mounted upon the frame l by means of' brackets 49 on each side thereof as shown in the drawing. In the operation of this device the normal position of the valve pistons and 21 will close the channels 26 and 30 leading tothe cylinder 8, `and will' allow the openings 27 and 29 lto communicate with the atmosphere, thus maintaining the usual 'atmospheric pressure above and below the piston 12 of the'shock absorbers. lVhen a shock is delivered upwardly upon the wheel .axle due to some irregularity or obstruction in the road, the force of the shock will tend to force the spring 4 upwardly to compress the same, and

at .the same time will force-the piston upwardly in the cylinder 8. As the piston is thus thrown, upwardly, the rod 38 in the dash vpot will be thrown upwardly therein, thus imparting' an upward motion to the cylinder 19 'of the dash pot and to the valve rod. The slight upward motion imparted 4to the rod will force the piston 21 slightly abovethe channel `31 and allow the` entrance 4ofthe air under pressure from the storage tank 34. :Thus air will be forced throu h the channel' 30 to the lower end of t e` r cylinder', thus tending to hold the `piston 12 in the upward position in, which it is driven by the shock. This will tend to preventthe tend to al ow the frame and body of the vehicle to remain in the same horizontal position thalt vit maintained before the shock'was delivered. The dash pot 19 will tend to adjust itself to its normal position with the' piston 37 midway of the ends by means of springs 50 and 51 secured to the lower 'end of the cylinder and supportednpon a bracket 53 depending from the lower end of the casting 7. This regulation of the dash pot will draw the valve piston -2l back soas t0 close the inlet 31 and allow the channel 29 .to communicate with the atmosphere, andv thusA relieve the pressure below the piston, allowing it to 'sink graduallyv back to its normal position and .allow the vsprin to again expand'to the position it occupier? be- Afore the shock was delivered.

This same sequence of operations will take place when the wheel drops into a depression -1n the roadway, tending to expand the spring 4 relative tothe vehicle, and to prevent the vehicle following the downward movement'of the wheelaxle, air will be admitted under pressure from the tank 34 through the channe s piston, tending to force it downwardly with (uick recoil of the spring and willI 32-ancl 26 to the upper end of the the springl and axle and maintain the body of the vehicle in its normal position. W hen the depression has been passed the action of the dash pot 19 will tend to throw the valve again upwardly to vclose 'the inlet for the pressure fluid and to allow the exhaust thereof through the channel 27. The dash pot will be similar in its action to other dash pots in that when the piston 37 is driven vupwardly in the cylinder, when a shock is delivered upon the wheel axle, there will be a tendency to :force the liquid above the piston through the by-pass 40 to, the oppositeend of the piston, and the speed of 'this adjustment `may be` regulated by the valve 41.

Theadvantages/of this construction lie in the fact that the vehicle spring may be compressed relative to the vehicle without imparting the upward thrust of the shock to the frame of the vehicle as is ordinarily the case. The spring 4 of the'v vehicle will be compressed and the tendency will then be for the spring to expand and throw the bodyI of the vehicle upwardly as the expansion of thespring after compression occurs. The spring will not abruptly expand when this absorber. is used, butwill ex and slowly allowing the frame of the ve icle to remain in its normal position re-v lativel to the roadway, unaffected to any marked degree by the force of the shock. The action ofthe valve will be to allow the lparts to gradually assume their original positiong'without any marked effect upon the frame" of the vehicle. The'i further objects and advantages of this construction will be apparent to one skilled inthe art without further description.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent/is:

1. 'llhe combination with/a vehicle including a frame, a.wheel axle, and a vehicle spring between said axle and frame; of a cylinder secured to said frame, a piston, a piston rod thereon secured4 to said axle, channels at the upper and lower ends of said cylinder normally open to the atmosphere, means actuated by the movement of said wheel axle and iston rod to close one, orthe other of sai: channels and admit vair under pressure at theclosed side for the purpose described.

2. The combination with a vehicle including a frame, an axle, and a,vehicle spring between said frame and axle; of a cylinder on said frame a piston in said cylinder, a piston rod thereon secured to said axle,` lateral outlets at'the upper and lower ends of said cylinder, andr means acting when said piston is moved in said cylinder to close the outlet behind the moving piston and to allow entrance for air under pressure 'in the manner described.

1 means automatically operated by the movel ment vof said piston rod to admit fluid under,

pressure through said ports.

4. A cylinder for attachment to the frame of a vehicle', a piston in said cylinder having a piston rod connecting the same with the axle of said vehicle, a valve cylinder,

1 a piston valve therein, passages from each end of said cylinder'to said valve cylinder, and means on said .plston rod-to move. sald valve, whereby air under pressure may be introduced into said passages abo-ve saidv piston when said piston is moved downwardly and below said piston when said piston is moved upwardly for the purposeV described.

5. A cylinder for attachment to the frame of a vehicle, a piston in said cylinder, a piston rod thereon adapted for attachment ,-o' the axle of a vehicle, -a piston valve adjacent said cylinder, passages from the upper and lower ends of said cylinder controlledby saidv valve, adapted to admit air under pressure above or below said piston as it moves down or up respectively, and means regulating said valve to allow exhaust of said air thereafter.

6.' In a shock absorber, a cylinder having fluid passages at the upper andlower ends, a piston vin 'said' cylinder, a piston rod thereon, a piston valve controlling-the said Huid passages, means secured to said piston rod to move said piston valve to allow entrance' to said cylinder of air under pressure above said piston when said piston moves downwardly, and below said piston when said piston moves upwardly, and equalizing means on said valve to allow gradual outlet for said air from said cylinder.

7. The combination with a vehicle including a frame, an axle and a vehicle spring between said frame and axle of a cylinder a piston and "piston rod working therein, said cylinder and piston rod being secured to ysaid frame and axlefluid ports at the ends of said cylinder, and valve controlled means to admit air under pressure through said ports to the receding side of said piston as it is moved in said cylinder.

8. The combination with a vehicle including a frame, an axle and a spring between said frame and axle; of a cylinder and piston between the frame and axle, Huid ports at the ends of said cylinder, valves regulating said ports, means actuated by the movement of said piston to operate said valves to admit fluid under pressure on the receding side of said piston and to permit the vent of said fiuid thereafter.

9. The combination with a vehicle, including a frame, an axle and a spring; of a cylinder and piston between said frame and axle, valve `controlled ports .at each end of said cylinder, means to move said valves to admit fluid under pressure from an independent source to the end port of said cylinder from which said plston is moved, and means to allow the vent ofsaid fluid gradually thereafter.

` 10. The combinationV with a vehicle including "a frame, an axle and a spring between said frame and axle; of a cylinder,

4a piston reciprocab'ley therein, ports at each end of said cylinder, a source of fluid under assist in maintaining a uniform support of said spring to said frame.

11. In a shock absorber, a cylinder, a

piston therein, fiuid ports at each end of said cylinder, valves controlled by the movement of said piston to admit fluid under pressure behind said piston as it is moved, to resist itsreturn movement and means independent of said piston to allow exit 'of fluid from said cylinder thereafter.

12. In a shock absorber, a cylinder, a piston therein, a fluid port at one end of said cylinder and means to regulate the iuid pressure on said piston to assist the movement of said piston in either direction.

,In testimony whereof, ,I hereunto afiix my signature this the Srdday of August, 1923.,

HOWARD a. HUGHES, JR. 

